At boarding school - Spring break skateboarding clinic a hit with youngsters

Zach Feuge, 7, was helped down a ramp Thursday by Nicholas Gilbert at the YMCA skate park during a weeklong skateboarding clinic. About 20 youths signed up to learn safety lessons as well as skating techniques. Awards were handed out Thursday for youngsters who had displayed the most improvement throughout the week.

While their peers still might have been in bed, aspiring skateboarders filled the downtown skate park Thursday morning.

In spite of fog and a few scraped elbows, the youngsters wheeled energetically around the park, comparing tips and perfecting their moves.

About 20 local youths have been getting their education in skateboarding this spring break at

Y-Ride, a skateboard clinic sponsored by the YMCA and Beluh 42 skate shop. The clinic is an opportunity for new skaters to learn the tricks of the trade.

"There's just a lot of kids in town that want to learn how to skate," said Jaime Edwards, owner of Beluh 42. "The real special thing about this is it allows kids to come out and develop their skills."

Edwards said he got the idea for the clinic after requests from parents. He said that for younger skaters, it can be intimidating when it comes to skating at the local parks with their more advanced peers. However, with a little training, children can gain the confidence to become active in the skating community.

Robert Bravo, 15, helped out as an instructor at the clinic. Bravo has been skating for about five years himself, but said he was impressed with the efforts of the younger participants.

Throughout the week, attendees have learned — from videos and hands-on instruction — tricks such as an ollie, a 50-50 grind, a melon grab, a frontside flip and a board slide.

Pupil Blake Roberts, 9, learned the payoff for his continued efforts. Thursday, he was awarded a new board for his progress. He credits determination for his success.

"I usually can't do an ollie," Roberts said, "but every time I fell, I just got up and kept trying and trying and trying."

This was the first year for the clinic.

Trey Addison, day camp director for the YMCA, said organizers were impressed with the turnout this year.

Edwards, who plans to hold another clinic sometime this summer, said the event received support in the form of donations from skateboard companies and scholarships for participants who otherwise might not have been able to take part.

"It's really been a good group effort from the whole skating community," Edwards said.

Skating 101

- Ollie: The most basic of skateboarding techniques and the foundation of many tricks. It involves snapping the tail of the board to the ground, and popping it into the air so the skater can jump with the board stuck to his or her feet.

- 50-50 grind: A basic grind trick, typically done on a rail. It entails doing an ollie along a rail but letting two of the wheels hang off the ledge. This causes the board to drop slightly and grind along the rail.

- Melon grab: A backside air trick, grabbing the heel side of the board with your front hand by reaching behind the front leg.

- Frontside flip: A kick flip done turning the body 180 degrees at the same time, creating the illusion the board has flipped over.

- Board slide: A basic sliding trick. The skater ollies and then swings the front of the board over a rail, landing sideways with the center of the board hitting the rail. The rider slides down it, perpendicular to the rail, then does a 90-degree turn to land.